Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2007 June 1

= June 1 =

Stetler or Hostetler
What does "stetler" and "hostetler" mean? This is a surname. It is not in a typical dictionary. 69.218.238.123 00:37, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Perhaps it refers to someone from a shtetl? --Anonymous, June 1, 2007, 02:30 (UTC).
 * Good idea, but I doubt that's the case; s and sh are different sounds in Yiddish phonology, and neither last name is traditionally Jewish to the best of my knowledge. zafiroblue05 | Talk 03:47, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Hostetler is the name of a character in the HBO show Deadwood. He runs a livery stable in case the name relates to a particular profession and is black in case that's somehow relevant. Also, I think the same character is sometimes referred to as stetler, which I assumed was just a shortening of Hostetler. Hope that helps someone else answer the question; if indeed there is an answer, besides: nothing. -- Azi Like a Fox 07:54, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * There are currently 2,437 Stettlers and 2,016 Hostettlers in the Swiss white pages. This genealogy site mentions a Jacob Hostettler who crossed the Atlantic on the Charming Nancy in 1738 and is now the ancestor of over 2,500 Hostetlers in the United States.
 * Stettler could be derived from Stättler or Städtler, perhaps meaning townsfolk, or from place-names Stetten (of which very many exist) or Stettlen. Similarly Hostettler could be derived from places called Hochstetten, Höchstetten or Hofstetten (all places exist in several versions within the Alemannic speaking area) or simply from an unspecified place at a high elevation. I couldn't find any references regarding the name's origins. ---Sluzzelin talk  08:37, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Shakalaka
What does the word Shakalaka mean61.17.177.46 09:55, 1 June 2007 (UTC)Pandu


 * I think "boom shakalaka" is onomatopoeia from the sound of slam dunking a basketball. The "boom" is the initial hit on the rim, and the "shakalaka" is the rim reverberating. --TotoBaggins 14:26, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * It sounds to me more like someone hitting a bass drum and then shaking a maraca. —Angr 20:30, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * "Shakalaka baby" is actually a (quite catchy) song in the Andrew Loyd Webber produced musical Bombay Dreams. I also see googling "shakalaka hindi" also brings up another Bombay movie Shakalaka Boom Boom.  But I can't seem to get anything further... It may just be (Hindi originating) onomatopoeia. Root4(one) 02:40, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Of course, even if Indians use "shakalaka" more than us, it doesn't mean it originated there. Root4(one) 02:43, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
 * 'Shakalaka Boom' is the brand name of a popular ramen noodle in Nepal! Masti ra Doom!-- killing sparrows  (chirp!) 11:49, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I wonder if it's related to Chakalaka at all? Sandman30s 12:59, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
 * "Boom Shaka Laka" is used as a chant in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), just before the appearance of Miss Piggy, so it was used in America long before Bombay Dreams (2002) or Shakalaka Boom Boom (2007) came out.
 * "Boom shaka laka laka" is the chorus in the 1968 song, "I want to take you higher" by Sly and the Family Stone. It was a huge hit for the group throughout 1968 & 1969.

While this may be nitpicking, the Sly and The Family Stone phrase was "boom lacka lacka lacka." The "sh" seems to have originated with Hopeton Lewis' 1970 "Boom Shaka Laka." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuOPPL65zUQ

Easiest languages to learn?
I'm not posing this question from any single language perspective. In general what are the easiest languages to learn?

I've heard Indonesian is one. What else?

Thanks,

66.91.225.188 09:58, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * You might want to check out Ido, which was designed to be extremely easy to learn. I took a couple of courses online, it's very easy, but it really depends on what language you grew up talking. Zouavman Le Zouave (Talk to me!) 10:12, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * The easiest language to learn is the one that's most similar to another one you already speak. If you're starting from a blank slate, they're all equally easy, as babies prove every day.  --TotoBaggins 14:29, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Chinese must be the easiest: just consider the billions of toddlers who already know this langage.  ;)
 * Actually, learning another language which is similar to one you already know might prove confusing if there are subtle differences. I've seen this in my own experience and in discussions with others who were learning new languages at the same time as I was.  -- JAXHERE  | Talk 14:51, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Similar, though not identical questions were asked in April and in May. (Links to archived questions) ---Sluzzelin talk  16:44, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * You forgot March! There's another similar one somewhere, where I remember answering as well, in the last few months. --Wirbelwind ヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 20:06, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I picked up Bahasa Melayu (similar to Bahasa Indonesia) through television subtitles and comics - it's not hard to learn. x42bn6 Talk Mess  22:53, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * In fact, this question gets asked with incredible frequency, and always seems to attract completely different answers. Not sure what this says about the accuracy or consistency of our answers.  This must be a prime candidate for the long-awaited Ref Desk FAQs.  --  JackofOz 00:13, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I've collected some in Reference desk/FAQ. --Lambiam Talk  18:07, 3 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Babies prove that every language is within reach, but is there any evidence that all first languages are equally easy? If typical four-year-old competence in Quadling is equivalent to typical three-year-old competence in Gillikin, how would we know?  &mdash;Tamfang 23:34, 3 June 2007 (UTC)


 * The trouble with asking if languages are equally easy for babies is that there is no definition of easy. If the ideas I've heard about optimality theory and language acquisition are correct, some languages are trivially harder to learn (i.e. take a greater number of steps to acquire) than others, at least in any given sub-area of the language.  If that's true, I really doubt that in every language the difficulties of the sub-areas sum to the same overall difficulty. — The Storm Surfer 03:13, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I've heard Esperanto as one. It was even developed for the purpose of having an easier Romance-type language.  bibliomaniac 1  5  An age old question... 00:44, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

I second the votes for Esperanto and Ido. Esperanto has very simple grammar with few to no exceptions, consistent spelling, and a vocabulary based on European languages. I don't know much about Ido, but it's derived from Esperanto and similar logic should apply. --67.110.213.253 05:28, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

'slinger
What does the word " 'slinger " (with an apostrophe) mean? I don't think any meaning from this page would be right. Imho it is a slang word or an abbreviation. If you had needed context... the word is taken from Iron Maiden song (lyrics are here). Could you translate it into more official English? Rechta 10:51, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * It's an abbreviation of gunslinger, meaning someone (usually in the old American West) who lived and died by the gun. --Richardrj talkemail 10:55, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks a lot. Rechta 11:28, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Cyclopedia -vs- Encyclopedia
I have noticed in my researching that 100+ year old books are many times called "Cyclopedias" and modern versions are always called Encyclopedia - a term I am more familiar with in my lifetime. When did the "En" get added and why? What is the meaning of this addition of these two letters from the earlier time versions?--Doug talk 17:01, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Encyclopedia is in fact the original form, given by the OED as a misreading of εγκύκλιος παιδεία, originially meaning the whole circle of knowledge and used with its current meaning since it was used as the title of various works in the 17th century. Cyclopedia is a shortening, dating back to the 17th century or so, possibly intended to convey more readily the ostensible greek sense. Algebraist 19:09, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Great, thanks for clearing this up for me. I was a little confused on this, however now understand. I notice your User Page of "I am too lazy to research or write new material, so I am mainly just an editor." It so happens I am the opposite. I believe this is why Wikipedia works so well - each to their own. --Doug talk 20:28, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah, that's an interesting fact. I'm a horrible grammar Nazi, btw, and I don't make original content either--I just take pre-existing stuff and make it better. *sigh* I'm so unoriginal... :( Stryker001 (talk) 19:13, 23 May 2011 (UTC)

"duck-down jacket"
Please, help me to understand the sense of the phrase "duck-down jacket". Thanks in advance.


 * A jacket filled with duck down feathers; the down is used as a thermal insulator. -- LarryMac  | Talk  19:07, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * So it's not a jacket cut for those whose job requires a lot of crouching? :P  &mdash;Tamfang 23:36, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

What does "crown 8vo" mean?
I've seen books offered in both octavo (8vo) and "crown 8vo" bindings. Consider this page of a catalog, for example. (Under "Shakespeare".) grendel|khan 19:47, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Octavo (book) says: Crown octavo (7½" by 5"). Marnanel 19:54, 1 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Ah. I followed the 8vo redirect, which doesn't go there. Gotcha. grendel|khan 21:10, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, it should, and now it does. :) - Nunh-huh 21:50, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Silly Q
Hi all, I have tomorrow farewell party, and I am planning to make a chart to take autographs of all my classmates... My question is, what should I name that chart, I mean the title, I was thinking of writting Autograph record/book... Thank you.
 * I think just "Autographs" would work. Recury 22:50, 1 June 2007 (UTC)